Wide Awakes

I know that the Wide Awakes in the mid-1850s were nativists, loosely associated with the Know Nothings. What about the Wide Awakes of 1860 who rallied for Lincoln's presidential campaign. Were they the same as the Wide Awakes of the mid-1850s, did they evolve from them, or were they a completely different entity? I can't seem to get much from US History encyclopedias I have at home or from the internet.

Thanks Wes. While a nativist stance might not have been their primary goal as the mid-1850s Wide Awakes seem to have been, their stated beliefs include, "...in protecting our laboring men against European pauper competition....". I presume that in 1884 (the pub.date) that statement referred to restricting immigration rather than outsourcing.

Last week I visited the Newseum in Washington DC for the first time and among their exhibits is a collection of historic newspapers. I was particularly interested in a cartoon of Lincoln with a banjo and, in trying to find a bit more information on that, came across this site which has some bearing on this discussion.

Well, at least they were not rare on a well known minstrel's banjo-- one that played with Tom Briggs, Eph Horn and… Frank Converse...

Dan'l said:

BTW, notice the frets or fret markings on the banjo depicted in this 1863-published image. Perhaps that's an indication that it wasn't so rare after all to see a fretted banjo used by CW period Minstrels.

Thanks Matthew. I'll read through and see if I can detect a tie to the Wide Awakes of the mid-1850s.

I don't know of the mid-1850s Wide Awakes have taken a stance on slavery. It seems inconsistent for the 1860s Wide Awakes to be anti-slavery and yet anti-immigration unless purely for labor's sake. Maybe I'll find out via your posting.